Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Get a New View of Bird Life with NestWatch

Help track changes in bird nesting activities

Ithaca, NY—Across the continent, birds are in a flutter of
wooing and nest-building. Perhaps there’s an American Robin building her
mud and grass bowl on your porch light or a Northern Mockingbird
weaving a twiggy nest in your shrubs. If you find a nest nearby, you
have a front-row seat to the daily drama of bird life. It’s also a
perfect opportunity to become part of the NestWatch
project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. NestWatch has been tracking
trends in the nesting success of hundreds of species of birds across the
country for more than 40 years.

“It’s only when many thousands of volunteers are collecting data over a
vast area that scientists can fully measure the impacts of environmental
change and land-use on breeding birds,” says Jason Martin, NestWatch
project leader. “Take climate change, for example. We need a massive
amount of data to investigate the potential impacts that altered
climatic patterns may have on breeding birds. If birds start nesting
sooner, as some species are doing, they may eventually become out of
sync with their food supplies.”

As a NestWatch participant, you report what you see at www.NestWatch.org—when
the first eggs are laid, total number of eggs and young, and when the
hatchlings take their first faltering flights. After signing up, you’ll
first do a bit of online training to understand how best to observe
nesting birds without disturbing them. You’ll learn the best time to
check nests and how to avoid accidentally leading predators to them.

You’ll also get some tips on how to find nests. “Look for birds carrying
bits of grass, twigs, feathers, and other nesting material and remember
where they go,” says Martin. “Males sing to mark their territories so
if you see male birds singing, there’s probably a nest nearby.”

Participation in NestWatch is open to anyone who is interested in birds
and nature and is free, although a small donation is suggested to help
support the program. Signing up is easy via the NestWatch website www.nestwatch.org. There are online tutorials to help you along the way and a chance to share your experiences with others on Facebook. It’s a great way to connect with other bird watchers and with nature in your own backyard.